Rendell surprises Law School grads

A law school graduation is the last place one would expect to hear a joke that pokes fun at the legal profession. But surprisingly, Sunday's Law School graduation ceremony was riddled with lawyer jokes, as several speakers took time to light-heartedly address the public's bad image of lawyers. The ceremony -- held at the Academy of Music -- celebrated the accomplishments of about 343 graduates and featured a surprise visit from Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell. Rendell, who was not originally scheduled to speak, delivered the keynote address after the scheduled speaker cancelled. In a speech that mixed humor with sensible advice, Class President Natalie Heiman acknowledged that young lawyers have a tendency to ignore society's negative perceptions of lawyers and the legal profession in general. "If graduation from an Ivy League law school opens enough doors, what difference does it make if the rest of society thinks we're losers, liars [and] criminals?" she asked. But, Heiman told her fellow graduates, the public's negative opinions can damage a young attorney's morale and vitality and, therefore, should not be ignored. "Young, almost-lawyers need to be aware of these perceptions and work to amend them as best we can," Heiman said. "When you hear a lawyer joke, laugh, if it's funny? but listen to the criticism underneath the humor, and ask yourself whether there is anything you can do to correct that particular misperception of the legal profession," she suggested. When Rendell took the stage, he first addressed one issue that he felt was on the mind of every graduate at the ceremony. "You have only one more examination -- the bar examination -- to take in your entire life," Rendell said. Rendell also addressed popular misconceptions of lawyers, assuring the students that lawyers make many positive changes in society. "It is true? that lawyers are not held in great esteem by the public," Rendell said. "[But] the good that we do is manifold. It is pervasive in every field of life." As lawyers, Rendell told the graduates, the members of the Class of 1999 will have the ability to make changes in society and improve the quality of life for their clients. "You have the capacity to change the direction of everything you get in touch with [and] everything you do," Rendell said. "You can make it better." Rendell also stressed that the satisfaction that lawyers gain from serving the public often exceeds the financial gains won by practicing law. "If there's anyone in this graduating class today who has thought to become a lawyer to make money, you won't be a lawyer very long," Rendell said. Rendell spoke at last year's College of Arts and Sciences' graduation ceremony.

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